Something Old, Something New
by gitania
Summary: Lex meets up with an old friend who could be the key to outwitting his father, but will she hold the key to his heart? COMPLETE
1. The Wedding that Wasn't

Author: gitania

Rating: Definitely PG – a little innuendo, but nothing stronger than a kiss!

Disclaimer: I own the character Kate and the plot of the story. Everything else belongs to people far richer than I.

Author's Note: I haven't watched the show in a while, but I couldn't get this out of my head. Sorry if the details are sketchy! Please read and review. Enjoy! - gitania

Summary: Lex meets up with an old friend who could be the key to outwitting his father, but will she hold the key to his heart?

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 1: The Wedding that Wasn't

_Mr. Lex Luthor and Guest,_

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of_

_Daniel Hamilton and Katherine Finn_

_At 10:30 on the morning of October second;_

_Saint Christopher's Church,_

_32 Lovell Avenue, Smallville._

Lex frowned at the invitation in his hand as he stood staring out the window of his study. The weather was perfect, but he could see some dark clouds moving in from the west. The steeple of Saint Christopher's Church was visible as it rose above the buildings that surrounded it; and he could picture her in his mind, preparing to walk down the aisle towards the insufferable Daniel Hamilton.

-----------------------------------------

Kate looked out of the bedroom window at the clouds that were forming in the distance. She frowned, turning from the view to take one last look at herself before heading to the church for the ceremony.

Her white dress fit perfectly, and her veil flowed beautifully down her back. Her head itched like mad, but Kate didn't dare scratch for fear of dislodging the veil or any of her hair, which had been laboriously put up and out of her way by her hairdresser.

There was a light knock on her door, and Kate turned to see who was there.

"It's time to go, Miss," her regular driver William had come to take her to the church.

Kate sighed, smiled valiantly, and followed him out of the room, sweeping her bouquet into her hands as she went.

The long line of black town cars was beginning to move off as Kate approached the last one in the line. The entire wedding party was before her; the perfect image would only be complete when Kate arrived last of all and proceeded into the church in her turn. Her stomach knotted itself tightly.

William placed her honeymoon suitcases in the trunk before gallantly offering his hand and helping her into the back of her car, closing the door securely behind her. He sat in the driver's seat and turned the engine over.

"Everything alright, Miss?" he asked, seeing her frowning image in the rear-view mirror.

"I think I've forgotten my bouquet, William," Kate said hopelessly. "Would you run up to my room and find it for me?"

"Of course, Miss." William left the car in a hurry, disappearing into the house as the car directly before them rounded the first turn out of the driveway.

After a quick look around to be sure she wasn't seen, Kate leapt from the back seat and settled herself behind the wheel. She threw her bouquet onto the front passenger seat and put the car into gear, pressing her foot down hard on the accelerator. Gravel from the driveway flew out from under the wheels as the car lurched forwards.

Kate took a deep breath as she pulled out into the traffic; she had just abandoned her own wedding.

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The rain was just beginning to come down as Kate pulled the car to a stop in front of the mansion. She leapt from the car, still afraid that she might be caught, and pulled her luggage from the trunk. She kicked her skirt out from under her feet and ran up the front steps, getting dampened by rain as she went. Finally she reached the door and hammered on it with her fists.

An old woman answered the door, obviously surprised to see the young lady waiting outside of it.

"I'm here to see Lex Luthor, please," Kate said quickly. "It's rather urgent."

"Come in then, dear; I'll let him know you're here."

Kate stepped into the enormous house, grateful to be out of the rain. She put her luggage on the floor and waited as the woman looked at her expectantly.

"Yes?"

"Your name, dear? So I can tell Mr. Luthor."

"Of course, I'm sorry," Kate looked increasingly flustered. "Katherine Finn."

The woman left her in the entrance hall and Kate wandered slowly around, looking at the furniture and other adornments in the room. An old clock caught her eye, and she noted the time; she should have started her walk down the aisle eleven minutes ago.

She heard footsteps in the upstairs hall, and prepared herself for an awkward meeting.

"I do," Lex smiled down at Kate from the top of the stairs as she stood in her damp wedding dress, wondering what she was getting herself into by coming to this particular house.

She smiled ruefully, "Well I very obviously do not."

"I would think that your plans for today would have been too pressing for you to make an impromptu visit to the Luthor Mansion," Lex observed with a smirk, walking steadily down the stairs towards her.

Kate gave him a hard look, "I notice that you made no effort to attend my wedding."

"And lucky I didn't," Lex said softly. "It seems to me that it's going to be quite a non-event."

Kate looked at the floor, wondering why Lex Luthor always managed to make her feel so childish.

He stood before her, and finally gave a genuine smile as he lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "It's good to see you."

Kate sighed with relief, and accepted his open arms, giving him a warm hug of greeting.

"I know it's been a long time; I'm sorry." She smiled sadly, "I didn't know where else to go."

"You're always welcome here," Lex replied. "How long will you be staying?"

"I don't know," Kate said honestly. "I don't really know what I'm going to do."

"Well, the first thing is to change your clothes," Lex said with a smile. "You're never going to figure out what to do about your current lack of wedding without first getting out of the wedding dress."

"It cost a small fortune, you know," Kate lamented, bringing a smile to Lex's face.

"I'm sure it did," he said seriously. "The Hamiltons would have nothing less."

"Nor would the Luthors," Kate said in defence.

"Touché," Lex grinned. "It's going to be good having you around, Kate – it's been far too long."

Kate smiled as a well-dressed man appeared out of nowhere and picked up her suitcases.

"The spare room near mine," Lex said to the man. He turned to Kate, "Follow him up and get changed; I'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay," Kate nodded and followed the man up the enormous staircase, gathering up handfuls of her skirt as she went.


	2. A New Man

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 2: A New Man

Dry and dressed in jeans and a soft T-shirt, Kate ventured through the house and into the kitchen. She found Lex placing glasses on a large tray along with enough soda to get a stadium full of people hyper on the sugar.

"Expecting guests?" Kate asked, pulling herself up to sit on the marble countertop.

"Yes, actually," Lex smiled. "I'm having friends over today."

"You have friends now?" Kate joked. "You must have changed."

Lex smirked at her, pulling dip from the fridge and tortilla chips from a cupboard by Kate's head.

She looked at the large quantities of food that filled the tray, "What are you, feeding an army or something?"

"Well, we will have to live on this for twelve hours," Lex pointed out, as though it were obvious.

Kate looked at him incredulously, "Exactly what's going on?"

"I told you," Lex said calmly, "I'm expecting friends. I assume you'll be spending the day with us?"

"If you don't mind. What do you have planned?"

"Movie marathon."

Lex laughed out loud at Kate's expression. The Lex Luthor she knew would never be heard uttering the words 'movie marathon', let alone participating in one.

He turned serious for a moment, "I can call it off if you'd like a day of quiet – I'm sure they'll understand."

"No," Kate squeezed his shoulder appreciatively. "I'd love to meet your friends. A movie marathon sounds like just what I need to keep my mind busy."

"I agree," Lex smiled and continued adding junk food to a second tray.

"So, twelve hours of movies?"

Lex nodded, "Midday to midnight. It's become tradition."

"You know, Lex, you seem really different," Kate said with a kind smile. "You're more relaxed; it looks good on you."

He smiled, "Thankyou, Kate."

The doorbell rang loudly and Kate slid off the counter, endeavouring to make a good impression on Lex's friends.

"I should have thought of that," she said softly. Lex gave her a confused expression and she went on, "The doorbell. I stood out there pounding on the door with my fists – not nearly as practical."

"But far more dramatic," Lex complimented. "I enjoyed hearing about it from Mrs. Jacobs."

"New housekeeper?"

Lex nodded as the kitchen door swung open and a casually dressed group of four walked unceremoniously into the room. A young black guy in a baseball jacket threw a bag full of movies onto the counter, and two girls stood talking amongst themselves as they perused the contents of the food tray.

"Hey, Lex," a tall, handsome young man entered last, and moved to shake Lex's hand.

"Hey, Clark. How's it going?"

"Yeah, fine." He shrugged, "We've got homework coming out of our ears, but it's no biggie."

"Well, that sounds painful," Lex joked lightly.

"Hi," the spunky looking blonde walked up to Kate and stuck out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Chloe."

Kate shook her hand with a smile, and Lex spun around looking slightly distracted.

"I'm sorry; everyone, this is Kate Finn, an old friend of mine," Lex explained. He pointed to the group members in turn, "Kate, this is Chloe Sullivan, Pete Ross, Lana Lang, and Clark Kent."

"Nice to meet you all," Kate smiled around at them. They made a nice dynamic, and she was happy to see how calm Lex seemed as a part of this group.

Lex continued, "Kate's visiting me for a little while."

"Oh yeah?" Chloe's searching eyes locked onto Kate, but she wasn't unkind. "What brings you to Smallville?"

Kate looked slightly uncomfortable, "My wedding, actually."

"Really?" Lana looked delighted at the romantic notion. "When is it?"

"About an hour ago," Kate replied after a glance at the kitchen clock. "I couldn't make it."

The room went quiet and Kate felt slightly guilty. She hadn't meant to alienate Lex's friends; she only wanted to be honest.

The phone rang, and Kate let out a small breath of relief at the distraction. Lex picked up the phone with a clipped 'Lex Luthor', and immediately a blanket of cold spread over him. No matter how much time passed between visits, Kate knew that this one thing would never change – only Lionel Luthor could bring about this reaction so quickly.

Lex listened patiently to his father, "…you know how the damn French are. Anyway, I won't be home for another couple of weeks; just thought I'd let you know."

"That's fine," Lex replied. "I'm sure I'll survive."

There was silence on the other end of the phone; Lex knew that the conversation was over.

"We'll talk again soon, son," said Lionel eventually.

Lex put the phone back into its cradle and turned back to the group.

Kate smiled knowingly, "So, how is Lionel?"

"Still alive and well, much to my disappointment," Lex replied unfeelingly. He seemed to notice his social faux pas, and let some of the coldness slip away, "Shall we get settled upstairs?"

Pete grabbed the movies from the counter and led the way back into the entrance hall and up the staircase. As they entered the large recreation room, Kate smiled at the familiarity.

"It looks just the same in here," she said with a grin. "Except for that, of course," she pointed to the large screen television that was surrounded by three black leather couches. "Since when are you so into TV?"

"Since we started movie marathons," Chloe said.

"And when was that?"

"About a year ago," Lex replied.

Kate was stunned, "I don't even know you anymore, Lex Luthor."

Lex smiled almost proudly, saying softly, "You will."

The wall clock said it was almost twelve, and the group took what were obviously their regular seats on the couches to begin the marathon. Lana put her tray down on the coffee table and sat next to Clark on the middle couch. Chloe took a seat on the couch to their left. Lex beckoned to Kate, who set the second tray down and sat beside him on the third couch that he would otherwise have sat on alone.

Pete placed a DVD into the player and sat comfortably on the couch with Chloe, holding the remote.

Kate wondered about this new Lex and his new life. It seemed that he was a whole new man – making jokes and inviting friends over for off-beat social occasions. But Kate remembered the coldness that came over him at the sound of his father's voice, and she knew that he could never truly break free of his old life. She wondered if things would be any different this time around.


	3. Facing the Music

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 3: Facing the Music

After four hours, two movies, and several easy conversations, Kate felt much more at home with the group. The credits started to roll on 'Sleepless in Seattle', and Lana sighed in a love-struck way.

"What a great movie," she said softly.

Chloe shrugged, "It's okay."

"Sure Chloe," Pete countered; "You think nobody saw you wiping away a tear when she got to the top of the Empire State Building and he wasn't there?"

The group laughed together, and Pete stood to change the movies over. Kate stood up to stretch and was soon joined by Clark and Lex.

"Doesn't it hurt to wear your hair like that?" Chloe asked Kate from her seat on the couch.

Kate realised that she still had her hair violently pulled back with numerous small metal contraptions and enough hairspray to choke a person to death. Weddings were much more painful for women than men realised.

"Actually, it makes my head itch like crazy!" she laughed at herself. "I got rid of the veil, but I haven't got around to taking the rest out yet."

"It's kind of severe," Lana agreed. "You should take it out." She scrambled around in her handbag, eventually pulling out a hairbrush. "Here," she offered it to Kate.

"Thanks," Kate smiled at the speed of friendship growth in Smallville. Already she had been welcomed into their fold, no résumé necessary. She sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, taking the sharp pins out of her hair one at a time.

"I like the red," Lex said, indicating the red highlights that appeared as she let down her dark hair.

Kate rolled her eyes, "Daniel didn't like it. He said it wasn't 'fitting' for a woman in my position. It was murder on the hairdresser, trying to hide bright red streaks for the wedding."

"Are you sad?" Lana asked suddenly in her soft, concerned tone.

"About the wedding?" Kate asked. Lana nodded, and Kate shrugged her indifference. "I'm sad that the dream is over. It would be nice to have the perfect married life; but I wasn't going to have that with Daniel. The wedding wasn't really about the fairytale; it was more about practicality."

Lana looked horrified. "So, are you even in love with him?"

"There was a time that I loved him," Kate smiled at Lana's shock. "But no, I guess I'm not in love with him. I guess that's why I didn't marry him today."

"Man, that's rough," Pete threw in his two cents.

Kate laughed, "It's just the life we live; right, Lex?"

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

Kate sighed, "I mean that our lives are more about business than pleasure. Daniel would have provided me with a comfortable life, a good public image, and someone I could depend on."

"Well if that's what you think, then why not marry him?" asked Pete seriously.

"I guess because I want more than that," Kate explained. "I don't need his money for a comfortable life, I already have a good public image, and if I ever do get married I want it to be for something more than co-dependence."

"There's also the fact that the guy's a useless halfwit," Lex added with a smirk. The phone rang loudly, and he stood to answer it.

"Lex Luthor."

"Lex, it's Daniel Hamilton."

"Daniel, how are you?" Lex said smoothly. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding today."

"Yeah, well, as it turns out there wasn't a wedding," Daniel said distractedly. "Kate's disappeared; we're calling everyone on the guest list to see if we can find her. You haven't heard from her at all, have you?"

Kate frowned as she stood close to Lex, straining to hear through the phone.

"No, I'm sorry," Lex said with an apologetic tone so convincing that even Kate almost believed him. "I haven't heard anything."

"Okay," Daniel sighed deeply. "Let me know if you hear from her, would you?"

"Of course," Lex said effortlessly. "You take care."

"Yeah, thanks anyway."

"No problem," Lex put the phone back into its cradle and turned to Kate who was waiting expectantly. He grinned, "It sounds like they think you've gone missing. Poor Daniel can't believe that you'd actually leave him at the altar."

Kate frowned at Lex's condescending tone, "What's the matter with you, Lex? He's worried, that's all. I like to think that you'd be worried if your fiancée didn't show up for your wedding."

Lex sighed, "I'm sorry, alright? I just don't like the guy."

"I don't care for your opinion of him right now, Lex," Kate said adamantly. "I was going to marry him, and I think he's pretty decent on the whole. I'm going to call him; he shouldn't be left worrying like this."

Kate picked up the phone and dialled Daniel's cell, fully aware that she was being watched by everyone in the room. Her life had become a soap opera that audiences couldn't tear themselves away from.

"Yes?"

"Daniel? It's me."

"Kate!" He laughed in obvious relief and Kate felt cold hard guilt settle in her stomach. "Are you alright? What happened to you? Where are you?"

"I'm fine," Kate felt her eyes welling up at the sound of his voice. She really had loved him, once upon a time. "I'm staying with a friend for a little while. I just wanted to call so you wouldn't worry."

"Well I am worried, Kate. What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry, Daniel," Kate swallowed hard. "I promise you that I didn't plan this. I had every intention of marrying you, but I…"

"You what?" he asked quietly.

"I just can't," Kate whispered, the first tear falling down her face. "I'm so sorry."

Lana's eyes were wide with horror as her romantic ideals faded a little. Clark sat at her side, holding her hand tight. Pete and Chloe exchanged a dark look as Lex stood at Kate's side, waiting to pick up the pieces if she happened to fall apart.

"You're sorry?" Daniel could not believe his ears. "Do you know how much I paid for that wedding?"

And with that one sentence, Kate felt her blood boiling. "No, Daniel," she said coldly, "How much did you pay for the happiest day of our lives?"

"Not enough, obviously," he spat back.

Kate sighed deeply, letting her anger dissipate before she said something she would regret. "It's not about the money, Daniel. It was never about the money…"

"Then what was it about?" he demanded.

Kate shrugged hopelessly, though she knew he couldn't see it. "I guess I loved you."

"And you don't anymore?"

"I'm sorry," Kate said firmly, closing the conversation. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm alright – please don't let my mother worry about me; let her know I'm safe."

She put the phone gently on its hook and sat on the floor against the wall. Lex sat beside her and put a supportive arm around her shoulders. After allowing her a minute of silent tears, he took her hand and pulled her up.

"Time for another movie," he announced.

Chloe nodded her agreement, saying commandingly, "No more Romance."


	4. Hostile Takeover

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 4: Hostile Takeover

Midnight came and went as the credits for 'The Sixth Sense' rolled. Clark and Lana were cuddled on their couch, much to Chloe's obvious disgust. She was laying full length on her own couch, with Pete sitting on the floor and leaning his back against it. Lex sat comfortably on the third couch, with Kate fast asleep with her head on his shoulder.

Kate had recovered fairly quickly from the shock of her phone call to Daniel, and the twelve-hour movie marathon had come to a close with any further dramatics strictly confined to the screen.

"This was fun," Clark said softly as Pete shut off the DVD player.

"Yeah," said Lana. "Kate's great, Lex."

Lex smiled, watching the others beginning to stand and stretch. They would soon be heading to their respective homes, and Lex was preparing to finish crunching some numbers before going to bed himself.

"Leave that," he said to Clark, as the young man started to pick microwave popcorn from the couch he had been sitting on. "Mrs. Jacobs will clean in here in the morning; it'll be good as new."

"I should be getting home," Chloe said with a glance at her watch.

The others agreed, and began gathering their jackets and other belongings from around the room.

"Forgive me if I don't see you out," Lex said softly, gesturing to Kate with an affectionate smile as she slept peacefully on his shoulder.

"Sure," Clark laughed. "We know the way."

"Goodnight, Lex. Thanks for having us," Lana gave him a smile as they crept out of the room.

"No problem." Lex watched them exit then turned to whisper, "Kate. Katie, wake up."

Her eyes opened slowly and she lifted her head to look around the room. "Did I miss the end?"

"Yes, but I'm sure you've seen it," Lex smiled.

"Where did everybody go?"

"Home to bed," Lex said. "And it's about time for you to get to bed, too."

"What are you, my mom?" Kate laughed, waking up more steadily now.

"I thought you'd be happy to get some rest after such a crazy day," Lex said reasonably.

"Yeah, you're right," Kate admitted. "I haven't been sleeping well lately. Nervous about the wedding, I guess."

"And see how pointless your worrying was," Lex pointed out with a smirk.

"I know," Kate joked. "I should have called the whole thing off months ago; save myself a lot of trouble."

Lex smiled grimly and Kate sighed. "I just wish things had turned out better," she said simply.

"I know," Lex agreed, "but you know you made the right choice. You wouldn't want to wake up in ten years time and finally admit to yourself that it was a waste."

Kate looked at him sideways, "You just don't like Daniel."

"No, I don't," Lex admitted. "But that's not why I think you made the right choice."

"I know," Kate yawned and ran her hands through her hair. "I need to get some sleep. Can you direct me to my room from here?"

"I'll show you the way," Lex grinned. He led her out of the room, and they arrived at Kate's new quarters without incident.

"My room's right here if you want me," Lex said, pointing to a door adjacent to Kate's. "Just call out, okay? And there's an intercom to downstairs if you need Mrs. Jacobs at all."

"Okay," Kate smiled shyly. "Thanks for everything, Lex. I know it's not exactly convenient for you to have me here, and I promise I'll be out of your way as soon as…"

"It's no inconvenience," Lex interrupted. "I'm glad to have you here. It's been too long since I saw you, Katie; I want you to stay for as long as you like."

Kate smiled at the use of her childhood name, and stood on her toes to kiss Lex lightly on the cheek.

"Thankyou," she opened the door to her room and disappeared behind it.

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Kate looked at the digital clock beside her bed for the sixth time in four minutes. It flashed angry red numbers at her – 3:27am. She sighed audibly and sat up in bed. She eyed the intercom to downstairs, wondering if she dared wake Mrs. Jacobs at this hour to bring her something to drink. She decided not.

She clambered out of bed and switched on her bedside lamp before leaving the room, hoping that the light would help her to find her way back again. She crept down the hallway, aiming for silence as she tried to remember which way would get her back to the long staircase that lead towards the kitchen. It had been a long time since her last visit.

Just as she reached the stairs, Kate jumped at the sudden sound of continuous clicking, followed by a whispered curse. She smiled at the realisation that Lex must be up, and knocked quietly on the door nearest to her.

"Yes?" Lex was getting bad-tempered. Why could no one leave him alone to work, even in the middle of the night?

"Hey," Kate opened the door slightly, craning her neck around it. "Working late?"

Lex smiled upon seeing her and raised a hand from his computer keyboard to beckon her in.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Kate shook her head, "I couldn't sleep. I was trying to find the kitchen; am I even close?"

"Just down the stairs, to your left." Lex said. "You can call Mrs. Jacobs from your room, you know; that's what I employ her for."

"To bring me something to drink at 3:27 in the morning?" Kate scoffed.

"3:31," Lex corrected. "And yes."

"Whatever," Kate rolled her eyes. She walked over to his desk and sat on the edge of it, well away from his computer to protect his privacy. "What are you working on?"

"Hostile takeover," Lex said almost proudly. He poured a second glass of scotch from the crystal bottle on his desk, added ice cubes and handed it to Kate without her request.

"Still into making other people suffer, huh?" she asked, gesturing to the computer monitor.

Lex frowned, "Actually, I'm trying to avoid the suffering."

"Your own or other people's?"

"Both at the moment." He sighed deeply and Kate's heart went out to him. "My father has taken over all of my projects," he explained. "That means all of my employees are now his. Put simply, I want them back."

"Who owns them in the eyes of the law?" Kate asked, going into business mode automatically.

"He does," Lex said grumpily. "I want to buy them from him legitimately, but there are two problems: One, I don't have nearly enough money on my own; and two, he'd never sell them to me anyway."

Kate mirrored his frown, "So you need an investor."

"An extremely wealthy one," Lex nodded. "That would fix problem number one."

Lex smiled subconsciously. He enjoyed Kate's company, and had always thought that they made a force to be reckoned with when both had their business hats on.

"Is your mother keeping your dad's hotels running?" he asked idly, turning from the screen and sipping his scotch.

Kate laughed, "She has nothing to do with it. Dad left me everything when he died."

Lex raised his eyebrows and grinned, "How does she feel about that?"

"She's fine," Kate shrugged. "I do all the work to keep the hotels running, and she gets an allowance to do whatever she wants with. She would have spent everything in the first month otherwise, and we'd both be on the streets by now."

Lex laughed, but inside his mind was ticking over. Kate was his friend; surely she would want to help him to escape from his father's evil clutches and survive on his own? She would make the perfect business investor, and if anyone could help to overthrow Lionel Luthor…

"What are you plotting?" Kate asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Lex said, his casual expression slipping effortlessly back into place.

"I know that look, you can't fool me," Kate insisted. Lex looked pointedly innocent, and she shrugged in resignation. "Fine, keep your little secrets; I'm going to bed."

Lex smirked at her now empty glass, "Scotch always did make you fall asleep."

She smiled before sliding off of his desk and walking towards the door. Lex looked at her fondly, and smiled when she turned at the door to speak.

"Don't stay up too late," she whispered, wagging a finger at him in an endearing imitation of his late mother. She turned serious, adding, "And don't worry too much about your companies – we'll figure something out."

Lex grinned at his insight as she disappeared into the hallway – Kate would be the perfect person to help with his business plan; all he had to do was convince her before Lionel sold LexCorp to his buyer in France.


	5. An Old Feeling

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 5: An Old Feeling

"I just think it's time," Kate said reasonably.

"But you've only just arrived," Lex protested.

Kate laughed, "I've been here almost two weeks!" She shook her head, "Lex, I've been hiding away here for long enough – I have to get back to work, if nothing else."

Lex had no answer for that – work was always top of the list, as a matter of course. Kate aimed the seven ball at a corner pocket of the pool table and missed marginally.

"Will you stay if I let you win at pool?" Lex asked half-heartedly.

"You know that will never happen," Kate said. "If I win it's by my own skill – you're far too competitive to ever let me beat you."

Kate sighed softly as Lex took his shot, getting the ten ball squarely into a middle pocket. She had to leave the mansion, and not for any of the reasons that she had given Lex. It was because the familiar feelings had started up again, and that made it time to get away.

Lex looked at her sideways with his trademark smirk as he took his next shot, "Anyone would think that you don't enjoy spending time with me."

Kate smiled in a friendly way, though inside she was admiring the irony. In truth she loved spending time with him, more than anything. She scolded herself for falling for Lex all over again, despite how badly things had turned out for her the last time.

"Katie?"

"Hmmm," Kate was torn from her thoughts by Lex's stare.

"It's your turn," he grinned at her, smugly aware that she had spaced out completely.

Kate nodded and assessed the table before leaning down to take her shot.

"Are you sure you don't have things to do?" she asked over her shoulder as the elusive seven fell neatly into its corner pocket.

"For the sixty fifth time, no," Lex said exasperatedly. He looked at her sideways, "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No!" Kate looked shocked at the intensity of her reaction, and struggled to recover her composure. "I just want to make sure that you're not letting important business slide so that you can kick my ass at silly games."

"I assure you, the time is well spent," Lex smirked. He wandered towards his desk in spite of himself and carried the morning mail back to the pool table. He may as well get something done, considering she was starting to get suspicious of the time he was spending with her.

Lex made an aggravated sound as Kate sunk the one ball, and she looked at him in triumph.

"I might just win this one," she grinned.

"Hmmm?" Lex looked up from the card in his hand, and Kate realised that she had misunderstood his sound of contempt; it was directed at the mail and not her enviable shot.

"What is it?" she asked, taking a lazy attempt at the four ball and missing by a mile.

"An invitation," he groaned. "From Robert Masterson. He's a very important business associate."

"Can't blow that one off, huh?" Kate laughed, knowing Lex's distaste for dull parties full of stuffy old businessmen and their wives. There was a price that came with being young and successful.

Lex shook his head regretfully in response. " 'Lex Luthor and Guest'," he quoted from the paper.

Kate knew him too well. She backed towards the pool table in a feeble attempt to avoid the invitation. How could she refuse if he asked for her help? Her stomach turned over with nervous anticipation.

He raised his eyebrows in her direction. "Would you like to accompany me?" he asked predictably. "Distract me from the insipid tedium of yet another business party?"

Kate shrugged nonchalantly, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "Sounds great," she said sarcastically. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow night," Lex answered. "The invitation must have been lost in the mail. That, or it's just fashionably late," he smiled dryly.

"Your turn," Kate said, gesturing to the pool table. She sighed behind Lex's back as he took his shot, wondering why she had felt the need to torture herself by showing up on his doorstep in the first place.

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"Good evening Mr. Luthor," an older man with a broad smile greeted Lex and Kate at the door the following night.

"Mr. Masterson," Lex said, shaking hands dutifully. "This is Katherine Finn."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Finn." He smiled in Kate's direction and introduced his wife, who was standing cheerfully by his side.

"Lovely to meet you both," Kate smiled her warmest smile, allowing Lex to lead her away from the couple and into the huge ballroom that was already filled with guests.

"One hour and we're done," Lex whispered grimly.

Kate felt his breath on her ear and struggled to contain herself. "It's not that bad, Lex." She smiled with fake encouragement, "Give it a chance."

She scolded herself silently – she should be happy to end this night as soon as possible. She had survived unrequited love with Lex once, and wasn't so eager for a repeat performance. Being close to him was not worth the pain that was lying in wait.

They circled the room together, participating in inane chatter with strangers for what felt like hours. Kate was nearing the end of her rope when Lex leaned down to whisper in her ear again.

"Shall we dance?" he grinned, pulling out all the stops in his performance of 'having a wonderful time'.

Kate nodded kindly while mentally kicking herself. Gluttony for punishment was not an admirable quality.

As they danced slowly around the room, Kate indulged in the familiarity of it. She remembered a time when they had been very close, spending time together whenever they could spare it. They made a great team. She leaned her head gently on his shoulder, acutely aware of his warm hand on the small of her back.

"Are you alright?"

She started a little at the sound of his voice, pulling her from her thoughts. "Fine. You?"

He lowered his eyebrows in a reprimanding manner, and she realised that the question was not just a feeble conversation starter – he was asking in order to hear the answer.

"I was just thinking," Kate said softly.

"About…?" Lex prompted, seeing the sadness behind her eyes.

"About us," she admitted. "About how we used to spend so much time together when we were younger."

"Good times," Lex said softly, leading her gently around the room to the music.

"I missed you, you know."

Lex frowned, surprised by the depth of feeling in her words. Kate realised that she was at risk of revealing herself and brushed the intensity of the conversation away with a laugh. "But it was a long time ago now – ancient history."

They stood in silence for a moment before Kate said abruptly, "Are you ready to go? I'm kind of tired…"

He nodded, "Of course."

Lex led her from the dance floor and collected their coats. As they drove back to the mansion in silence, Lex felt a familiar feeling emerging. He knew it had been foolish to allow her to stay in his home; the proximity was dangerous for them both. Falling for Kate had been a painful experience and he firmly resolved not to repeat it.


	6. No Escape

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 6: No Escape

Lex put Kate's bags down by the door and turned to face her slowly.

"I'll see you again soon," she promised, though she had little intention of keeping it. Dancing with him at the party had taken her far enough – she had to leave the temptation behind.

"Where are you going to go?" Lex asked, not ready to let her leave.

"Metropolis," she replied. "My dad built his first hotel there, and it's been a while since I checked on it. I'll be fine," she added, seeing the dubious expression that crossed his face.

They were silent, and Kate felt the awkwardness growing. Time to go. She stepped forwards and risked hugging him goodbye. She breathed in his scent and felt the familiar nervousness growing in her stomach as he held her.

Lex caught himself just in time, releasing Kate before he either begged her to stay or kissed her passionately. He knew which option he preferred, but was unsure about which would be better received. He opened the front door for her, and watched her climb into the black town car that she had arrived in.

"See you soon," she said again as she closed the car door.

Kate placed her foot on the accelerator and left the Luthor mansion behind. It was several hours' drive to Metropolis, and she hoped that they would help to clear her head. Any more time spent with Lex Luthor and she would surely lose her mind and accept his invitation to stay 'as long as she liked'.

--------------------------------------

Lex entered the house with a strange sense of loss. He knew that it would be another long spell before he saw Kate again. He was almost certain that she had felt the connection between them, and she was running from it. History repeats, except that the last time he was the one to run.

He sighed deeply and returned to his study to lose himself in work.

--------------------------------------

"Yes?" Lex answered the phone wearily, almost six hours later.

"Lex? It's your father."

"Dad," Lex greeted. "How's France?"

"Useless," Lionel replied angrily. "The deal fell through, Lex. The goddamn French company aren't going for it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lex lied with a smirk. Perhaps he still had a chance to get his companies back before his father found another buyer. "Does that mean you're on your way home?"

"I'm taking the first plane tomorrow morning," Lionel said. "We should have a meeting – what are your movements?"

Lex thought fast, "I'm actually heading out tonight – big meetings planned in Metropolis. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Lex could hear the tiredness in his father's voice when he spoke. "Alright. I'll be in the office trying to resurrect this deal, whenever you get home."

"Okay, I'll call when I get back."

Lex heard the phone disconnect, and hung up his receiver. There was no way he wanted to be there when his father returned home after a deal had fallen through. All he needed was a place to hide out while he organised his plans to take his companies back.

He picked up the phone again and dialled information.

"Will you connect me to the Zenith Hotel in Metropolis, please?"

"One moment."

Lex waited impatiently while the phone rang in his ear.

"Good afternoon, Zenith Hotel. How may I be of service?" a man's voice answered professionally.

"Good afternoon, I'm looking for Miss Katherine Finn, please. She owns the hotel and will probably be staying in the penthouse. Has she checked in yet?" Lex used his most polite tone, hoping to get through to Kate without any trouble. He knew how difficult it could be to get a hold of important people.

"I can check for you, sir. Who may I say is calling?"

"This is Lex Luthor."

"One moment, please."

Lex listened to several beautifully played bars of Debussy's 'Claire de Lune' while he waited, but it did nothing to calm his mood. He took a sip of scotch and tapped absently along with the music.

"Hello?" Kate answered the phone wearily; she had obviously arrived very recently.

"Kate, it's Lex." He caught himself smiling at the sound of her voice and consciously shifted to his business tone. "I've just had a call from my father…"

She sighed sympathetically, "Bad news?"

Lex sipped his scotch again, savouring the taste. "His deal fell through – he'll be home tomorrow evening and I'd rather not be here. Is there room in your hotel for one more?"

Kate thought fast; she wasn't sure that she could handle more time alone with Lex. She had been surprised enough to get a call so soon after she had left. She racked her brain to find an escape, and managed to find one just in time.

"Actually," she smiled down the phone. "There's enough room for five. How about bringing your friends on a trip to the city?"

Lex sighed inwardly – bringing Clark and the others along to chaperone wasn't such a bad idea. "Sounds great," he replied. "I'll call them all and we'll be on our way in the morning."

"Okay," Kate yawned softly, feeling the long drive catching up with her. "See you soon?"

"Bye, Katie."

"Bye, Lex." Kate hung up the phone, blushing slightly at the sound of her nickname.

She sighed at her own foolishness, dropping heavily into a plush chair in the penthouse living room. She could have refused the call, but Kate knew that she could never resist Lex, no matter how bad he may be for her. There was truly no escape from a Luthor. Kate wondered if he had also felt the chemistry growing between them; and if so, why wasn't he running like the last time?


	7. Ground Rules

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 7: Ground Rules

"Hey," Kate smiled warmly as her new group of friends walked through the glass doors, held open by a smartly dressed doorman.

Lex walked directly towards her, smiling broadly.

"Anyone would think they'd never been in a five star hotel," he remarked dryly, gesturing to the others as they craned their necks to take in every inch of the beautiful lobby.

Kate was greeted by the group, swarmed by hugs even though she had only seen them all the day before. She was continually impressed by the companionship of these young people – she had known them for little over a fortnight, and already she was drawn into their fold.

"How do you like the hotel?" she asked with a grin.

"It's amazing," Lana breathed, still looking around the room.

"Is there anything you need, Miss Finn?" the concierge asked, approaching the group.

"Yes," Kate smiled, enjoying her show of importance. "Will you find someone to take my friends' bags up to the penthouse?"

"Of course, Miss."

"Thankyou," she led the group towards the elevators. "Come on."

"We're staying in the penthouse?" Chloe was in awe.

"Of course," Kate answered. "And you can have anything you want while you're here, no charge. So, order room service, watch movies, eat in the restaurants – anything. Just charge it to the room. Okay?"

"Wow, thanks." Pete was practically jumping up and down in excitement as the elevator doors closed.

Kate hit the button marked 'P', and inserted a small passkey into a slot next to the button. The elevator began moving immediately.

"You need a special key to get up to the floor?" Clark asked in wonder.

Kate smiled at his farm boy ways, "It's so that we can't be interrupted without permission."

"So, who else knows has a key?"

"Only me and James, the concierge," Kate grinned. She reached into her pocket and pulled out five passkeys, "And now, all of you."

She handed the keys around, watching their faces light up at the gift.

"You're free to come and go as you please," Kate instructed. "I'm not your mother; you don't have to answer to me. That being said," she continued in her business tone, "it would be nice to get you home to your families without any damage done. So we all let each other know where we're going, and we won't have any problems. Okay?"

Pete nodded solemnly, and was mirrored by the rest of the group. Lex laughed a little at Kate's speech.

"I thought you weren't their mother," he jibed.

"Shut up, Lex," Kate said breezily. "I'm just making sure we have ground rules… One should always have ground rules."

He nodded with a hint of a sarcastic smirk as the elevator came to a halt.

"This way," Kate said. She led the way out of the elevator doors, and across the wide hallway. She unlocked the large wooden door in front of them using the elevator key, and strode inside.

"Wow," Clark breathed, looking around the living area of the penthouse.

"It's beautiful," Lana said softly.

Kate grinned with pride, admiring the room along with her guests. The far wall was all windows, with French doors leading onto a balcony that overlooked the city. A grand piano stood in a corner, and there was furniture and doors all over the place.

"Make yourselves at home," Kate invited, walking into the room and opening the French doors. A light breeze flowed through, and Kate smiled with satisfaction. She pointed at various doors as she turned to speak to the group, "The boys rooms are over there, Lex included; girls are on the other side, next to mine."

Lex nodded, pouring himself a glass of scotch and sitting comfortably on a plush sofa.

"So, can we go shopping?" Chloe asked.

"Of course you can," Kate laughed. "I have some work to do today, but we'll have dinner together tonight if you like."

"Okay," Clark held up his passkey confidently. "We'll be back later. You coming, Lex?"

"Not right now, Clark," he looked apologetic. "I have some work to do myself. I'll see you for dinner."

"Okay," Clark took Lana's hand and led the group out the front door, waving and calling goodbyes as they went.

"Phew," Kate laughed as the door closed behind them. "They're high energy!"

"They're just excited to be in a five star hotel in the big city," Lex said softly.

Kate noticed how tired he looked. Her heart went out to him, and she felt the familiar feeling of warm affection that he brought out in her.

"How's your plan to get LexCorp back?" she asked quietly, perching herself on the arm of Lex's sofa.

He shrugged. "I don't trust anyone," he said simply. He looked out the windows, able to feel her presence on the arm beside him. He was truly dedicated to torturing himself.

"You can't find anyone that you would trust to help you?" Kate wasn't entirely surprised.

"What I need is for someone to buy my companies from my father, seemingly against my will. Then I need to organise a payment plan with this person and make a deal where I still own the majority share of the companies while I'm paying for them."

Kate nodded, knowing that this was not a very good business opportunity for Lex's potential investors.

"The trouble is," he continued, "anyone I could find to buy my companies from my father is most likely to want to keep them. I have very profitable businesses, and I don't want to have someone buy them and then screw me over when I try to get them back."

Lex sipped his scotch grumpily. He had been through all of his business contacts, and there was no one that he would want to work with. His original plan was to ask Kate, but with his new found feelings for her, he couldn't bear to drag her into the complicated game of chess that was his relationship with his father.

Kate thought about Lex's dilemma, wondering if she should offer to help. She wasn't certain that she could afford to buy Lex's companies from his father, and was even less certain that she should get involved. She was desperate to at least give Lex some comfort, but stopped herself forcibly. She believed in having ground rules and she had made very clear rules on the subject of Lex Luthor – one heartbreak is enough.

The pair sighed heavily and sat for a while in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Kate looked up at the sound of the elevator bell. There was a soft knock at the door, and she rose to answer it.

"Your luggage, Miss." The bellboy was young, but very professional. He smiled in a friendly manner, wheeling the luggage trolley into the room and stacking the bags by the door. "Would you like them taken to separate rooms, Miss?"

"No, thankyou," Kate smiled kindly. "I don't think we could figure out which bags are whose, anyway."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, this is wonderful, thankyou."

She gave him a tip and closed the door gently behind him, suddenly noticing Lex looking at her strangely.

"What?"

"You're just…"

"I'm just what?" Kate looked at him sideways, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"You're very nice, aren't you?" Lex observed.

"I like to think so," Kate laughed in confusion.

Lex seemed to lock this piece of information away in his mind before putting down his glass and rising to search through his bag for his laptop.

"I really do have work to do," he said. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Kate nodded, wondering what she had missed in the conversation that had just occurred. She picked up his forgotten glass and took a small sip. One thing was for certain, it was going to be very difficult to obey her own rules knowing that Lex was so nearby.


	8. The Truth Comes Out

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 8: The Truth Comes Out

"That was amazing," Lana sighed, walking through the door and throwing herself down on a couch.

"It's a beautiful show, isn't it?" Kate smiled, happy that she was able to show these country kids some real culture.

Pete frowned a little, "It was kind of depressing, though."

Chloe laughed, "Why do you think it's called 'Les Miserables'? It practically translates to 'The Depressed'."

"At least the lovers lived in the end," Clark said positively.

"And that's all that matters," Lex replied calmly, seating himself across from Lana and loosening his tie.

Kate looked up at him in wonder; she was still intrigued by this new Lex. She had sat next to him at the theatre, and her stomach had been fluttering from the moment they took their seats.

The chemistry between them had been growing since he arrived in Metropolis with the others, and Kate was starting to feel stifled by it. She would have to get rid of him soon, or accept that she had lost the battle and fallen for him again, despite her own ground rules.

"I can't believe we have to leave tomorrow," Chloe lamented.

"So soon?" Kate asked. "I didn't know that."

"Lex ordered his limo for us," Lana said. "We've already missed three days of school."

"Right," Kate smiled at their youth, "School…"

Clark yawned loudly, sending Lana into giggles.

"That sounds like a sign to me," Lex spoke up. "I think I'll be heading to bed."

Kate nodded her agreement, and they all said their goodnights.

Lex walked purposefully towards Kate and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Kate said breathlessly. She felt a flush creeping up to her cheeks, and quickly retreated to her bedroom.

---------------------------------------

Kate waved enthusiastically to the group in the limo as it pulled away from the curb. Lex stood beside her, holding his hand up loosely in parting. Four young bodies were poking out of the sunroof, waving cheerfully until they rounded the first corner on their way home to Smallville.

The pair left behind rode the elevator together and entered the Penthouse in silence after seeing their friends off from the lobby. They had had a wonderful time, and Kate was a little sad to see it end.

She was anxious in Lex's presence, and wondered if he could sense it. She wandered the room aimlessly, looking for something to occupy her mind and save her from awkward conversation. Stealing a glance at him, she noticed with a hint of bitterness that he seemed perfectly at ease in their silence. Kate, on the other hand, was going steadily mad.

"This was fun," she said, deliberately putting an end to her wandering by taking a seat on the nearest couch.

Lex nodded his agreement, facing her from his seat on the piano stool. "You'll have to come back to Smallville soon; they'll be missing you."

"Just them?" Kate asked hopefully, knowing full well that she was venturing into dangerous territory.

"No," he replied simply. Lex was debating with himself over Kate – he had felt the spark between them and knew that it was time to tell the truth, but he also knew that it would risk the end of their friendship. What if she ran this time?

"You'd miss me?" she persevered, kicking herself mentally in the process.

Lex had always been a decisive man and he forced himself into a business-like state of mind. He looked up into her eyes and made his decision, "Yes, I'd miss you. I've missed you every day for six years."

Kate swallowed hard, "You have?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you leave?" She surprised herself with the question, and immediately felt the emotion rising within her.

"Let's not live in the past, Kate," Lex said sternly. He felt immediate regret for letting this conversation begin – there was no possible way for them to get through a talk about their past unscathed. He had made the wrong decision.

Kate sighed in frustration, "Okay, forget it. I can't do this Lex; you have to go."

"Go? Why?"

She clasped her hands together and took a deep breath, saying as calmly as she could, "Because I'm in love with you, Lex. I've been in love with you my whole life – but I can't be around you when I'm always wondering when you're going to turn around and leave again."

"You think I wanted to leave you?" Lex was reeling at her emotional confession.

"There's always a choice, Lex, and you didn't choose me." Kate was crying silently, hot tears falling steadily down her cheeks.

"I chose you," Lex said firmly. It was time to tell all. "I spoke to your father after bringing you home from our first real date. He told me that he'd kill me if I hurt you. Before that it had never occurred to me that things might go bad between us. I thought long and hard, and realised that I probably would hurt you, no matter how much I wanted to believe differently. I wasn't a good guy, Kate. You were stupid to fall for me."

"But you're different now," Kate countered. "Why didn't you ever get in touch with me? My father died and you weren't at the funeral, you weren't even going to come to my wedding…"

Lex's emotions boiled over. He left the piano stool and knelt down in front of her, speaking with such purpose that it was almost threatening, "Let me make one thing absolutely clear: I am in love with you. I would rather die than have to sit by and watch while you say 'I do' to any man that isn't me!"

Kate resigned herself to tears.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she whispered eventually. "Do you think it makes things better?"

"No," he said softly. "If anything, it makes things worse. I should have been brave enough to tell you how I felt at the time. But instead, I ran; and now that I'm finally ready to tell you, you're running from me."

"I'm not running," Kate objected. "But I can't handle being left by you twice, Lex. Once was more than enough…"

"I know," he looked into her eyes. "I can't fix mistakes that I've already made; but I can sure as hell keep myself from repeating them."

Kate looked at him questioningly as he stood up, pulling her with him.

He fixed his stare onto her eyes, searching them for some sign. "I'm not letting you run from me," he said with conviction. He had made the right decision after all; he just had to convince Kate that he was worth the chance. "We know the truth now, and I want to risk being with you. What do you think?"

She sighed, "Lex, I…"

"It's 'yes' or 'no', Kate," he interrupted. "Tell me the truth now – are you brave enough to take the chance? I won't say that I'll always get it right, but I will work harder to make you happy than any man has ever worked at anything."

Kate paused for a moment then smiled through her tears, "Can't hurt to try, right?"

Lex shook his head solemnly, "I don't want you to try, Katie. I need to know for sure; can we make this work?"

Kate frowned, knowing that he wanted her to really think before answering. After a long moment she reached up to hug him tightly and whispered in his ear, "I'm not letting go of you again – we'll make it work."

Lex tightened his hold on her, breathing in her scent and revelling in the feeling. She laughed joyfully, planting tiny kisses onto his shoulder as she held him tight.

He pulled away, looking into her eyes and smiling at the happiness he saw there. He put a hand to the back of her neck and leaned in to kiss her soundly.

She smiled deliriously as they pulled away. "I've been waiting years for that," she confessed in a whisper.

Lex laughed, pulling her into another hug. He kissed her hair, saying softly, "Me too."

----------------------------------------

The next morning Kate was still filled with the light-headedness of finally being with Lex. They sat on the couch with her legs stretched out across his lap and his hand planted firmly on her knee. They sat in comfortable silence as they sipped at their freshly-made coffee.

"So," Kate said cheerfully, "What are we going to do about your business?"

"No," Lex shook his head firmly. "No business. Let me revel in this for a while."

Kate laughed, "You think I don't know you better than that? You're mind is probably already searching through your business options!"

"You should know that isn't true," Lex said with a devious grin. "My mind is firmly on more important options…"

Kate smiled at the innuendo, and shook her head. "Come on, we need a plan if we're going to get your companies back. What have you been working on while you've been hiding away here?"

"Actually, I was going to proposition you," Lex said, smirking with good humour. Kate hadn't seen him so happy since they were children.

"You've propositioned me several times already," she laughed. "I assume this one is about business…?"

Lex looked her up and down with a grin, and then turned serious. He spoke quickly, "I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to answer straight away. I want you to think about it, alright?"

"What if I want to say 'yes' right away?" Kate asked with a smile.

"Then I want you to think about it from all angles first," he said seriously. "Promise?"

Kate put the jokes aside and put on her business expression, "Alright, I promise."

Lex nodded and took a long sip of his coffee, "I want you to be my investor."

Kate thought for a long moment, "There are several issues from my end – finding the money, getting your father to sell to me in the first place…"

Lex smiled confidently, "This is a business proposal, Kate – it's what I do. Do you really think that I don't have a plan?"


	9. The Execution

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 9: The Execution

"Ah, Miss Finn; how wonderful to see you again," Lionel Luthor smiled broadly as he stood to shake her hand, urging her further into his office in the mansion.

Kate smiled back, shaking with a firm grip, as her father had taught her. Lionel indicated a seat in front of his desk, and she sat graciously.

"Thankyou for seeing me, Mr Luthor," she said in a professional manner. "I know how extremely valuable your time is."

He smiled and sat in his own chair, very much larger than Kate's.

"Scotch?" he offered.

"No, thankyou," she shook her head, laughing faintly. "I find it makes me sleepy, and I like to have my wits about me while I work."

He nodded slightly, pouring a glass for himself. "I was surprised to hear from you – our businesses don't seem to coincide."

"Actually, I'm not exactly looking to coincide. If you don't mind me getting straight to the point…" she raised her eyebrows in question and received an almost imperceptible nod in return, "…I'm here to purchase something from you."

"What are you in the market for?" he asked smoothly, sipping his scotch and leaning back in his chair.

Kate leaned forward, placing a well-manicured hand on his desk. "LexCorp."

"LexCorp?" he raised his eyebrows with interest.

"And all other projects formerly belonging to your son; yes."

Lionel laughed and Kate sat silently, allowing him time to form a reply.

"If I were to sell you these companies," Lionel said slowly, "What plans do you have for them?"

Kate smiled politely, showing a hint of malice. "I'm going to tear them into tiny pieces, and then sell those pieces off to the most despicable people I can find," she said simply.

Lionel looked slightly taken aback, but never looked out of control of the situation. "May I ask why?"

"Because your son recently broke my heart, and I want revenge."

She smiled her practised smile and continued in a strictly professional manner, "You see, Mr Luthor, I have been in love with your son for some time. After abandoning my fiancée at the alter and rekindling our childhood friendship, I confessed my feelings. Lex said that he felt the same, we slept together, and then he told me that he wasn't so sure anymore. I was dumped."

She sighed but kept her composure, "In short, I was hurt and now I want to hurt him back."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…"

"Precisely," Kate kept her business face on and waited for him to speak.

"I'm a very rich man," Lionel said eventually, sipping his scotch in a self-assured manner. "I have no need for the money that LexCorp, the Talon coffee shop, or any of Lex's other projects bring in."

Kate smiled politely, knowing that this was never about the money, "I'm sure that's true, sir."

"Lex has been very difficult lately," Lionel murmured, turning the proposal over in his mind. "It might be beneficial for him to learn his place."

"He certainly is sure of himself," Kate said with a look of irritation.

"May we speak plainly?"

"Of course," Kate was slightly surprised, but worked hard not to show it.

"How much can you afford?" he asked directly.

Kate sighed, showing a little of the feminine vulnerability that she knew he was a sucker for. "As you know, Mr Luthor, we Finn's are far from billionaires…"

"I'm well aware of your financial position, Miss Finn; your mother and I are still on good terms."

"Speaking plainly?" Kate asked, receiving another of his slight nods. "My limit is fifty million dollars."

Lionel regarded her carefully, "That's no small amount of money for you, Miss Finn. Are you that desperate to own these companies?"

Kate looked deep into his eyes, "Have you ever had your heart broken, Mr Luthor?"

"It is a risk we all take," he skilfully avoided.

"I want to hurt him," she said firmly. "I want to take the things that matter to him, and I want to destroy them. Naturally I can see that there is money to be made by selling the pieces, but for the most part I just want him to feel some small reflection of the pain that he has forced upon me. At the moment that's worth a significant sum of money to me."

"I see…" Lionel struck his thinking pose; weighing up a mere fifty million dollars against Lex's humiliation and financial desperation. He was going to sell the companies in France anyway, why not sell them here instead? Granted, the money would be significantly less, but he could afford to splurge a little on Lex's downfall.

"Fifty million dollars?" he clarified.

Kate nodded, showing another flash of vulnerability. "It's the best I can offer."

"Dad, I wonder if we can…" Lex stopped short at the sight of Kate as he burst through the office doors.

"Lex," his father said coolly. "Haven't you learned to knock?"

Lex looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"You remember Miss Finn?" Lionel introduced unnecessarily.

"Of course he does," Kate said with sharp politeness. "How are you, Master Luthor?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm having a meeting with your father," she said confidently. "A private meeting, if you don't mind…"

"Is it life or death, Lex?" Lionel said with a pained expression. "I was just about to close a deal with Miss Finn."

Kate looked at him with innocent surprise, and he smiled kindly in her direction, ignoring his son completely.

He stood to shake her hand, and she took it gratefully. "Miss Finn, consider this handshake a gentleman's agreement. I'll have my lawyers draw up the official papers as soon as possible."

"Wonderful," Kate smiled broadly, taking a business card from her purse and laying it carefully on his desk. "I'm looking forward to doing business with you."

"As am I," Lionel said professionally, picking up the card and placing it in his inner jacket pocket. "I'll call a maid to show you out."

"Thankyou sir, but I know the way."

Lionel nodded, gesturing to the door. "It was lovely meeting with you."

"Thankyou," Kate grinned triumphantly at Lex, who was standing stunned in the middle of the room.

Suspicious, he followed her into the hall, calling her name as he went. He caught her arm just outside the office door and spun her around sharply to face him.

"What was that all about?" he asked loudly.

Kate flashed another victorious smile, "I just bought you, Lex."

"What?"

"LexCorp, the Talon – everything that used to be yours is now mine." She wrenched her arm from his grip and called confidently as she walked away, "You should have known better than to mess with me, Lex – I learned all my business ethics from you."


	10. Playing the Game

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 10: Playing the Game

Kate was playing the grand piano in the Penthouse when Lex entered the hotel room and dropped his coat unceremoniously to the floor.

"You were eerily convincing this afternoon," he said in greeting. He poured himself a scotch and sat heavily on the nearest sofa.

Kate stopped playing as he entered, and turned on the piano stool to face him. "Hard day?" she asked.

"Just hard to get away from," he replied softly. He glanced out the window to see the first rays of sunlight hit the smaller skyscrapers. "What time is it?"

"Nearly five," Kate answered. "You really shouldn't be here."

Lex looked tiredly up at her. "Are you expecting someone?" he asked with a confident smirk.

She gave him a lecturing look, "If you want your plan to be successful, you should be more careful until it's over. Your father could have someone tailing you, and you're waltzing straight into my hotel room."

Lex sighed, "I wanted to see you."

Kate's expression softened and she moved to sit beside him on the couch. "You can't always have what you want," she said gently, knowing that he hated to hear it. "You're taking a big and unnecessary risk. We're never going to get another shot at this, Lex, and I really think…"

She was cut off abruptly by Lex's mouth covering hers, slowly caressing her lips with his own until she surrendered and kissed him back with equal feeling.

He pulled away after a long moment, and gave her a smirk. "I'm sorry," he apologised in a tone that suggested he was anything but sorry. "You were saying…?"

Kate smiled a little, against her will. "Seriously, Lex. You're not being careful enough with this."

"You worry too much," Lex told her simply, leaning forwards to capture her mouth again. She pulled away quickly, standing up and picking up the phone that sat on the kitchen counter.

"James?" she said after a moment, and Lex recognised the name of the concierge. Her tone grew hard, "I need security to the Penthouse."

Lex stood and watched her with an amused expression, sipping his scotch carefully.

"Lex Luthor is not welcome here, James. I want him out – now!"

"What was that about?" Lex asked softly when she had hung up the phone.

"I've told you, Lex." Kate sighed deeply, placing the cordless phone back onto the counter behind her. "You asked me to be a part of your plan to get back what you've built, and I accepted because it would help you."

"And everything is going smoothly…"

"Security is going to escort you from the building, and I suggest you do your best to make it look as though we've fought."

"You want to put on a show in case my father is having me followed?" Lex was surprised at her commitment to his plan.

"And don't phone me, either," Kate continued. "He's probably tracing your calls."

Lex stepped forward, putting his scotch glass on the counter and pinning Kate easily against it. He spoke softly, punctuating his words with gentle kisses on her neck. "I've been driving for hours to see you," he whispered.

Kate pulled back, smiling genuinely at him. "We'll have plenty of time, Lex."

There was a brusque knock at the door, and a voice called through. "Miss Finn? Is everything alright?"

Kate leaned in and kissed Lex deeply, grabbing his glass from the counter while she had him distracted. She pulled back from the kiss and surprised him by hurling the glass against the door of the hotel room.

"Just get out, Lex!" she screamed.

There was another knock on the door, "Miss Finn, we're coming in."

"Better go, Lex," Kate whispered with a grin. He gave her a look that warned of his imminent revenge, and moved to unpin her body from the bench behind her.

The door burst open, and Kate shot Lex a look of deepest loathing as two security guards tumbled into the room, guns drawn, trampling broken glass into the carpet.

"You'll be sorry for this, Kate," Lex said threateningly, and for a moment Kate wasn't sure if he was playing along, or letting her know that he would not forget being thrown out of her hotel.

"I'm already sorry for getting involved with you in the first place," she shot back. "Get him out of here," she told the security guards. "I don't want him anywhere near my hotel again, understand?"

"You're going to have to come with us, sir," one of the men said firmly. Lex bent to retrieve his coat from the floor, shaking shards of glass and drops of scotch from it and exiting the room of his own accord.

"Guess I'll see you around, Lex," Kate said smugly as he retreated from the room, followed dutifully by the armed guards.

Lex only gave her a cold look, and for a moment she marvelled at his acting prowess. She watched as he was escorted down the hall and into the elevator that already held the concierge. She nodded to James in thanks, and grinned triumphantly at Lex as the doors closed.

Kate closed the hotel room door behind her and sat back down at the piano. She played softly, glancing covertly out the window until she saw him exit the building. Lex wrenched his arm away from the security guard that held it, and she watched as he glared threateningly at the guard for good measure.

He strode angrily across the street, settling behind the wheel of his Porsche and pulling it quickly into traffic.

A moment later, a plain black Sedan pulled out behind him, following covertly.

--------------------------------------

A week later Kate entered the main reception area of LuthorCorp, marvelling at its size and extravagance. The contract to sell Lex's companies had finally been agreed upon by both parties, and Kate was ready to sign and be done with Lionel Luthor for good.

The receptionist smiled professionally at her, and Kate walked confidently to the front desk.

"Katherine Finn," Kate said politely. "I have a meeting with Lionel Luthor."

"One moment," the lady said, immediately picking up the phone in front of her and dialling an internal extension number. Kate wandered away from the desk to wait, looking calmly out of the windows at the factory equipment.

"Miss Finn?"

Kate turned at the sound of her name, finding Lionel himself exiting the elevator to meet her.

"Mr. Luthor, what a surprise," Kate said honestly. "I was waiting for one of your security personnel to escort me to your office."

Lionel smiled with cool professionalism, "Far too impersonal for such a valued business associate. Shall we?"

He gestured to the elevator, and she stepped in to join him, smiling at the receptionist as she passed.

"Your empire is amazing," Kate said honestly as the elevator doors closed in front of them.

"My son came to visit your hotel," Lionel said abruptly.

Kate bristled a little, but did her best not to show it. "He knows that I'm buying his companies," she said nonchalantly. "Needless to say, he's less than impressed."

"And he came to confront you?"

"I think he wanted to charm me into changing my mind," Kate scorned. She shook her head in slight disbelief, "His arrogance is astounding."

Lionel chuckled appreciatively, his eyes still on the closed doors of the elevator. "I take it you shot him down?"

"I'm sure your team told you all about it," Kate said calmly. "I saw the black Sedan after Lex left. You think he's trying to scam you."

"The thought had crossed my mind," Lionel admitted casually.

"And now?"

"I don't care," Lionel said softly. He looked at her pointedly, and Kate turned away from the climbing numbers above the door and locked her eyes onto his. She raised an eyebrow purposefully in questioning.

Lionel grinned. "I like you, Miss Finn," he said lightly. "You certainly know how to play the game."

Kate gave a short, surprised laugh.

"In fact," he continued, "You play so well that I don't even care anymore whether you are playing me in order to gain Lex's companies; or Lex in order to gain his affection."

Kate started inwardly at that, slightly insulted by the implication. The numbers stopped lighting up and the doors opened swiftly, allowing some much-needed air into the elevator.

Lionel stepped out first, breaking their intense eye contact and gesturing calmly to the office doors at the end of the hallway. He smiled in a way that suggested that she had been a worthy opponent, but he had won the game. "Shall we sign some papers?"


	11. Cutting the Ties

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 11: Cutting the Ties

Kate drove directly to the Luthor mansion after leaving Lionel's office with her copy of the sales contract in hand. She rang the bell and waited impatiently for Mrs. Jacobs to answer.

She bounded up the stairs and into Lex's office, completely forgetting to knock with the excitement of having completed her role in their plan.

Lex looked up from his computer screen and smiled broadly. "Good day?" he asked hopefully.

Kate brandished the papers at him, practically skipping into the room and laying the contract down on his desk with a flourish. She sat on the edge of his desk, watching his eyes skim across the pages as he read the contract over.

"Fifty million?" he asked, slight disappointment creeping into his tone. "Is that all?"

Kate laughed, "Fifty million dollars is no small sum, Lex!"

He looked at her suspiciously. "He knows that LexCorp alone is worth far more. How did you talk his price down?"

"I didn't," Kate shrugged innocently. "I named my price and he accepted."

Lex rolled his leather chair along the carpet so that he sat in front of her place on the desk. He fixed her with a sceptical gaze, demanding more information without a word.

"Okay, okay," she grinned and gave in. "I gave him the sob story about you breaking my heart, and told him that fifty million was the most I could afford."

Lex looked distinctly proud, placing his hands gently on her hips and smiling. "You lied outright to my father?"

Kate tried to ignore the heat from his hands and nodded happily at his question. "He told me that he knew all about my financial position from talking to my mother. I saw my chance to lower the price and I took it. My mother doesn't know anything about our financial position – all she knows is that my father suggested a ten percent monthly allowance for her in his will."

"You don't give her ten percent?" Lex looked suspicious.

"Not even close," Kate grinned. "The more I give her, the more she'll find to spend it on; and there's no way that she needs that kind of money. I did some quick calculating, and if she told Lionel how much she's given per month – never doubting that it's really ten percent – we arrive at fifty million dollars making a fair dent in the family funds."

Lex looked impressed.

Kate shrugged, "Your father went for it, anyway."

Lex shook his head slightly, "It's never about the money for him."

"I know," Kate said seriously. Lex raised his eyebrows in questioning and she reluctantly continued, "I told him I wanted revenge – to hurt you for breaking my heart. I think he was happy to sustain the financial loss as long as he…"

"Got to watch me suffer," Lex concluded with a sigh. "Always the compassionate father."

"I'm sorry," Kate said softly. She placed her hands on either side of his face and leaned down from her place on the desk to kiss him softly.

"But it doesn't matter now," she continued, "because we're done with him. You have your companies back, and we never have to see or hear from him again if you don't want to. You're free from him. You're your own man now."

Lex smiled and pulled her gently from the desk and into his lap. He kissed her deeply, allowing the relief and happiness to wash over him.

"My own man," he said with a feeling of wonder, testing how the words felt in his mouth.

Kate grinned happily. "And the first thing to do is get out of this house," she said firmly.

Lex looked surprised and somewhat annoyed, "I hadn't considered the fact that I would have to leave."

"Well he's not going to leave," she said. "It's his house, and you need to get away from it. Make a whole new start. You're way too old to be still living with your dad anyway. You can come and stay with me in the hotel until we figure something out."

Lex paused before nodding his agreement. "I could buy a farmhouse," he said lightly, considering his options for the first time.

Kate smiled at him kindly, "You can do whatever you want."

He looked thoughtfully at his desktop computer. "I'll need some time to get everything I need off of here."

Kate nodded. She kissed him quickly and rose from his lap, allowing him to stand. "How soon do you want to aim to leave?"

Lex looked at the wall clock. Nearly noon. "I think we can make it by tonight," he said. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"No," Kate shook her head. "I'm completely at your disposal."

Lex smirked and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"We'll never get out of here if you keep getting distracted like this," Kate laughed.

Lex released her reluctantly and Kate could see his face moving into business mode. He pushed a call button on his desk, "Mrs. Jacobs, I need as many suitcases as you can find, brought up to my room immediately."

Kate smiled. She nodded towards the computer, "You clear out your files, and I'll clear out your room."

Lex nodded and planted a quick kiss on her temple. He was really going to cut the ties and leave it all behind.

---------------------------------------

"Ready?" Kate asked softly as the pair stood by the front door. She took his hand gently, lacing her fingers through his as he took a last long look around the house he had grown up in. All in all, it wasn't a place that he was going to miss, and that realisation saddened him a little.

He nodded sharply, letting his decisive nature take over.

"Okay," Kate stood on her toes and kissed his cheek gently. He turned to pull her close, and wrapped his arms easily around her smaller frame.

He kissed her mouth gently, wanting to tell her how much her actions had meant to him. How much he appreciated her going into battle with him against his father, and helping him to break free from the demands of his name and his upbringing.

Kate smiled gently, knowing all of the things that he wanted to tell her, but didn't know how. "You're welcome."

She pulled away from his embrace and opened the front door wide, stepping out into the night.

"Come on, Lex," she reached back to take his hand again and led him out of the house. "Let's go home."


	12. The Wedding that Was

Something Old, Something New

Chapter 12: The Wedding that Was

_Mr. Clark Kent and Guest,_

_You are invited to the wedding of_

_Lex Luthor and Kate Finn_

_At 2:00 on the afternoon of May fifth;_

_The Zenith Hotel,_

_56 Odin Street, Metropolis._

_We look forward to your company on our special day._

Clark smiled at the invitation one last time, and tucked it neatly into his inner jacket pocket. He opened the door to the 'groom's room', and let himself in quietly.

"Congratulations, Lex," he said with a grin.

"Thankyou, Clark." Lex looked up from adjusting his shirt collar in the mirror and smiled at his friend. "I'm glad you could make it."

Clark raised his eyebrows, "I'm the best man, Lex – I had to make it."

"Which makes me wonder," Pete spoke up from the other side of the room. "Why send us invitations if we're in the wedding party?"

Lex smiled as though the answer were obvious, "So you would have no excuse not to be here on time."

Pete rolled his eyes at Lex and turned his attention back to his tie. "I'll never get this damn thing right," he complained, eyeing the thin end of the tie which was protruding from underneath the thicker end. "Do you think anyone will notice?"

"Here, let me," Clark said, holding his hand out for the tie. He untied Pete's feeble attempt at a double Windsor knot and slipped the tie around his own neck, watching intently in the mirror as he tied it correctly.

"Ready for the big moment, Lex?" Pete asked as he put the tie back on and checked himself in the mirror.

Lex smiled calmly, "Absolutely."

Clark stole a look at his watch and checked his pocket for the rings one final time. "It's time, Lex."

---------------------------------------

"I still can't believe he asked you to marry him," Lana enthused, helping Chloe with the zipper on her dress.

Kate raised her eyebrows and laughed, causing Lana to backtrack quickly.

"I didn't mean…" she started. "I mean, of course I can believe it, you're… I just…" She looked down at the floor and gave a rueful smile, "Sorry."

Kate smiled at her friend, "It's okay, I know what you meant. I can't believe it either, sometimes."

"But you're happy about it, right?" Chloe asked, looking at her dress in the mirror.

Kate smiled, "Happier than ever."

Chloe stepped back and the girls crowded nervously around the bride as she took a final look at her reflection.

"You look beautiful," Chloe smiled genuinely at Kate, trying to calm her friend's nerves a little.

Kate smiled her thanks. "Is everyone ready?" she asked brightly.

Lana lifted three bouquets in answer, and handed them to their appropriate owners. "Ready," she affirmed.

Chloe looked at Kate gently, "Are you ready?"

Kate smiled, enjoying the feeling of butterflies in her stomach, "Absolutely."

She looked up at the wall clock and pushed out a nervous breath, "I guess it's time."

As the women stepped into the elevator, Chloe produced a small box from behind her back. She took Kate's bouquet and handed her the box instead. "We got you something small for the wedding," she said excitedly.

Kate looked touched, "You guys didn't have to do that."

"Actually, traditionally we do," Lana corrected with a kind smile.

Kate pulled the lid off of the box and stared vaguely at its contents.

"It's the four wedding traditions," Lana explained. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."

Kate smiled at the gesture and pulled the items out one by one. A rusted penny, cherry flavoured lip gloss, a hair clip with five white stones, and a pair of powder blue lacy underwear.

"The penny is old, the lip gloss is new," Lana went on with a grin. "The hair clip is borrowed from Chloe, and…"

"And the underwear is blue," Kate finished with a giggle. "This is wonderful, girls. Thankyou so much."

Chloe and Lana smiled proudly as Kate hugged them in thanks.

"I'll tell you what," Kate said quickly, watching the elevator numbers get closer to the lobby. "Put that hair clip into my hair now, and I'll save the underwear for later…"

"What about the rest?" Lana asked, ignoring the insinuation and sliding the clip into her friend's hair.

"You can hold onto it," Kate said softly. "I already have something old and something new."

"You do?" Chloe looked confused. "What?"

The numbers stopped moving and the elevator doors opened smoothly. Kate's eyes fell on the man who stood waiting for her at the end of the aisle. Lex smiled at the sight of her, and her heart swelled with happiness. She smiled back as she took her first step towards the man she had loved all her life.

She gave a knowing look to the girls that stood beside her, "The groom."


End file.
